General Security and Resilience

The following posts are useful for general awareness of current physical security threats, natural disaster resilience, preparedness resources, mitigation guidance, and other security-related news or updates. These resources have been curated by the WaterISAC analyst team as items of broad relevance and benefit that do not need supplemental analysis at this time.

Natural Hazards/Climate Change

Since the start of the twenty-first century, the U.S. has experienced an increasing number of power outages caused by extreme weather events, according to a new report from the research group Climate Central. As major power outages continue to rise, water and wastewater utilities are encouraged to re-assess their current preparedness efforts and work to enhance their power resilience.

The Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center, a federally funded research and development center operated by the RAND Corporation, recently published an updated risk assessment report on the risk climate change poses to National Critical Functions (NCFs). The updated report found the supply of water is at risk of major or critical disruption due to climate change by 2100, among other findings.

The official start to the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season is less than a month away, beginning on June 1. To encourage individuals and communities in areas that can be impacted by hurricanes to start preparing themselves for these potential storms the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced May 5 to 11 as National Hurricane Preparedness Week. As part of this campaign, multiple preparedness and resilience resources are being shared to help communities plan for potential impacts.